Roy Hodgson gave a long and detailed explanation of why he will place England’s World Cup fate in Joe Hart’s hands next week.

But in truth it boiled down to just two words: Scott Carson.

Six years after Steve McClaren bet the house on red against Croatia and watched in horror as the wheel stopped on black, Hodgson will not take the same gamble.

McClaren had backed Paul Robinson throughout his jinxed Euro 2008 campaign but suddenly panicked, gave rookie Carson his first competitive start, saw the keeper make a mess of Niko Kranjcar’s skidding shot and was powerless as his reign crumbled in the Wembley rain.

Hodgson, unquestionably, wanted to reinforce that message before the home double-header against Montenegro and Poland that could see England qualify for next summer's World Cup finals, lad in the playoffs or even miss out completely.

“Of course I have concerns,” he conceded. “Anxiety can transmit itself to the other players too, so that will be a concern as well.

“But I believe he won’t transmit anxiety and will have the confidence, because he’s the England No 1 goalkeeper.

“Joe is a self-confident individual. He’s not outrageous in any way. At the end of the Bayern game he was disappointed and saddened by a performance he might see himself could have been so much better.

“But as a goalkeeper if you can’t overcome those periods, you can’t be a top goalkeeper.

“A year ago, he was being described as the world’s best goalkeeper. You don’t go from that to someone who doesn’t deserve a place in the team.

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“It’s unfortunate. We’d love to be going into this game with all the players in form. As a national coach you have some players riding the crest of a wave and others less so.

“I have to give them confidence and have confidence in them. They need to go out and perform.”

More pertinently, perhaps, Hodgson conceded Hart’s understudies do not fit the bill.

With Ben Foster injured, Jack Butland on loan at Championship side Barnsley, Hart's deputies next week, John Ruddy and Fraser Forster, have played just 45 minutes of international football between them.

Not enough.

Not nearly enough.

“I know the story of Scott Carson,” said Hodgson. “I think it’s a big ask in these games to put someone in.

“I’m not greatly in favour, especially with goalkeepers, of dropping them the moment they have a bad game and put in someone who’s had a good game. We have to look beyond that.”

Hodgson backed his assistant Gary Neville over his criticism of under-fire Hart.

Working as a Sky Sports analyst on Wednesday night, Neville did not hold back after Hart made a mess of strikes by Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben as City were embarrassed by Bayern Munich.

Neville insisted "He's got to do better there, Joe Hart, beaten at his near post" after Ribery's opener, and was singing the same tune after Robben's goal as he added "You have to say Joe Hart's got to do better again at that near post. That's twice he's been beaten there."

But any suggestion that Neville's comments might cause an issue with Hart when the squad gather at St George's Park on Monday was dismissed.

The England boss said: "There's no problem with that. People like Joe Hart understand that, whenever they play, their performance is going to be analysed to the nth degree.

"Joe knows that Gary would only ever calls things as he sees them. I heard what he said and I don't think it was that critical. It was more a matter of fact statement.

"And you all know Gary - he's not afraid of giving out criticism!"

Hart’s public displays of his frustration at the Etihad - especially following Ribery’s opener - were a signal of his inner distress.

Thursday's German press openly mocked Hart, casting him alongside David Seaman, David James, Carson and Robert Green in the list of England blunder keepers.

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Support, though, came from his City team-mates.

France midfielder Samir Nasri, whose shot sneaked past Hart in the opening game of Euro 2012, insisted: “Joe is one of the best in the world still.

“I think it’s Neuer, Joe Hart and maybe Hugo Lloris, because I play with him in the national team - then Buffon, too.

“Casillas doesn’t play any more, but for me Joe is in the world’s top five - easily. Seriously, I am not worried about him. For the first time in a long time England have a world class goalkeeper.

“His confidence isn’t suffering. I think that when you are a top player like Joe, you don’t have problems with confidence.

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“Sometimes you can have a rough patch. But he knows everyone is behind him at the club.

“The good thing for Joe and the rest of us is that we play on Saturday at 12.45 so we don’t need to think too long about what happened.”

Hodgson’s other issues - assuming the squad emerges unscathed from the weekend’s fixtures - boil down to the right side.

But Hodgson effectively confirmed Kyle Walker’s place at right-back, leaving a choice between James Milner and the uncapped Andros Townsend to play ahead of him.

Hodgson added: “I was surprised at the level of criticism Walker received after Ukraine. Every game I watch him for Spurs I see a slightly more confident player.

“He’s been given the shirt. He’s a tremendous athlete and someone who’ll cause the opponent enormous problems when we have the ball.

“We need experience, players who are tried and tested, players who play regularly at the very top level. Milner has done it for us for the last 18 months.

“There have been games in the past where the bench hasn’t been quite as strong as one would like it to be, pressure on me with people saying ‘get me on’.